Walking Bengal Tigers and Bathing with Elephants in Thailand!

I had recently posted on the Restless Feet Facebook Page about the tour my cousin Nardia and I had gone on in January 2014 in Thailand where we were able to walk Bengal Tigers and bathe with an elephant. Many people had sent me messages in regards to the tour details so I figured I would share with you guys the details and the itinerary of our private tour right here. If you haven’t yet seen the video of our trip you can check it out here

09:00 We were picked up right on time from our hotel The Easton Grand Sathorn in Bangkok and headed to Kanchanaburi located 128 kilometers (80 miles) west of Bangkok in a spacious SUV. Our tour guide Opal provided us with bottled water and a few snacks she had brought along. Kanchanaburi is Thailand’s third largest province with an area of 19,486 square kilometers. The provincial area is mountainous and the west border next to Myanmar.

11:00 – 11:45 We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant which was located beside a beautiful river. The lovely thing about the lunch was the buffet style. We had many options in terms of what to eat so even if we were picky eaters we would have had no problem finding something to eat. It was absolutely delicious. After lunch we jumped back into the vehicle or should I say rolled ourselves back in slowly because we had eaten so much and continued on our journey which was a 30 minutes ride to Tiger Temple.

12:30-13:00 – As soon as we arrived in the Tiger Temple compound we were able to see other wild animals on the compound walking and running around such as wild pigs, deer, and antelopes. We were told that there were a handful of other animals that also roam around the compound. Shortly after we met a monk with his tiger and the Tiger Temple staff who were nice enough to take our cameras and phones to take photos and videos of us while we walked the tigers down the canyon.

13:00 – 15:00 After our private walk with the tiger was over we were able to go into the compound where many Bengal Tigers were living, most of them were taking their afternoon nap. We took turns going around the compound with one of the Tiger Temple staff who once again took our photos while we posed next to the tigers or even with the tigers heads in our laps! It was an unforgettable experience. Nardia was nervous the first time around but when we had gone the second time together she was extremely comfortable.

15:00-18.00 We got back into our vehicle and made our way to the Elephant Farm which was located in The River Kwai Village. We were paired with a female elephant and her owner and went for a ride around the farm. Our guide was able to answer any questions we had in regards to our elephant and he even made us these gorgeous hats made of leaves from the trees and flowers! After our tour around the farm changed our clothes and headed into the river with the elephant to give her a bath. As we were giving her a bath we learned some easy commands to communicate with her. After our bath time we took more photos with the elephant.

18.00 Our tour guide Opal handed us our bags and we were able to dry off and change for dinner. We had a beautifully arranged dinner by the river which was prepared by the ladies who live at elephant farm. It was nice to be able to sit by the river and watch the children who live on the farm jump into the river together, laugh and really enjoy themselves.

22:30-21:00 We headed back to our hotel in Bangkok where we slept the entire way.

Our day trip was the highlight of my trip to Thailand and I would recommend it to anyone who decides to visit Bankok. Although there is a lot of controversy around Tiger Temple I would suggest you do your own research and come to your own conclusion. Our tour was very personalized and at no point did we have any complaints whatsoever.

If you’re interested in the tour you can visit their website here for more details and prices and let them know Kaila and Nardia Smith sent ya 😉

5 Comments

Wow, wow, wow, this has me yearning a Thailand trip. I am heading to China to teach soon and I going to see as much of Asia as possible and so some of those awesome things you did. The photo with the Elephant holding you I it’s trunk is simply amazing. Fantastic article. Keep up the good work.

Hello Jas!
Thank you so much, it was a great experience! I hope you’re going to be living in the south of China, its much easier and cheaper to travel from there. If not, you’ll most likely have to do some stop overs on your way to different destinations like Thailand but it can make it a fun experience.
Thanks again for stopping by xo